Bruises
by The Name Is Not Zippy
Summary: Blurr, alive but broken after his encounter with Shockwave, flees the hospital ward out of exasperation. He stumbles through a Space Bridge and winds up on earth with fellow Autobot Bumblebee, who's emotionally wounded after the death of Prowl. The two confide in one another and eventually grow into friends/partners. Chapter 4 on hold, but still being worked on. Stay tuned!
1. Wounded

Blurr groggily opened his optics, finding himself face-up in Red Alert's medbay. He groaned in exasperation. "Big surprise, I've been here for a decacycle." He thought. The medbay doors neatly slid open to reveal Red Alert herself."Good morning, Agent Blurr. How are we feeling today?" Blurr wanted to respond, but all that came out of his speech synthesizer was "Mmngh." Red Alert smiled dryly. "How interesting. Did you recharge well?" Blurr didn't respond. "Blurr, these questions actually serve a purpose outside of friendly conversation, I need to know if your sedatives were effective."

Blurr frowned. "I suppose so..." he said after a long silence. "I'll take it they were a success then. They were our most powerful, if they didn't work, we may have had to resort to knocking you on the processor." Red Alert said as she stopped the flow of the various painkillers from Blurr's station.

"I-think-it-would-be-best-to-release-me-from-care- now." Blurr stated shortly. Red Alert placed a servo on her hip. "Blurr. Do I have to remind you again that your body was crushed into a cube? It's a miracle you survived that, but it's an even greater one that you managed to survive surgery. Right now, your body is about as stable as a Sparkling's art project, if I let you go now, you'd fall apart before you could make it out the door." Blurr sat up to protest. "But I-" "But nothing. I understand that you feel restless, but it's going to take a few solar cycles before you can even walk with a cane." Blurr bit his lip in frustration, but he knew that Red Alert was right. "Now, would you like some Energon before you go to the Welding Room, or would you prefer it afterword?" "I-am-not-particularly-peckish-at-the-moment." Blurr said, averting optic contact with his nurse. "Very well, let me help you into your hover chair." Red Alert gingerly helped the blue Autobot into his chair and began to push him out of the room. "This will be over before you know it, Blurr."

Blood splattered over the surrounding highways of the Chrysler Building. People screamed, fainted, ran, and tripped over each other to get away. "Whatcha watching, little buddy?" Bulkhead inquired when he saw Bumblebee sitting on the couch watching the carnage on the tv screen. "Q: The Winged Serpent." Bumblebee said, not taking his optics off the television. Bulkhead and Bumblebee had moved back to their old factory on Earth after the end of the war ceremonies, mostly to stick around with Sari and chill out after all the mayhem with the Decepticons. Optimus was still dealing with a few formalities back on Cybertron, and Ratchet had gone on his own private hiatus. "So, what do you wanna do today? I hear Sari has a cool new game console." Bulkhead frowned when he received no response from Bumblebee. "Bee, what's wrong?" Bulkhead asked, placing a servo on his friends shoulder. Bumblebee swiftly maneuvered away from Bulkhead's touch.

Bulkhead let out a long sigh and ponderously made his way onto the couch next to his little yellow friend. After a few moments, he spoke up. "I miss him too." "This isn't about Prowl, okay?" Bumblebee snapped. Bulkhead raised a brow. "There's no need to get all huffy, I'm trying to make you feel better." "Then leave me alone." Bumblebee retorted. Bulkhead made a hurt expression. "If that's what you want." he said quietly. The big green Autobot then got to his feet and transformed into vehicle mode.

"Sari and I'll miss you." Bulkhead called out as he headed for the door. He wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response and drove outside into the warm summer air. Bee had been forlorn ever since Prowl had gone offline, but it seemed to be hitting him especially hard today. Bulkhead muttered something to himself as he merged onto the highway. "Hopefully, this'll all be over soon."


	2. Surgery

"Hold still please, Agent Blurr." The Surgeon lightly scolded Blurr, who couldn't help but squirm as his stabilizing servo was rewired with a Correction Laser. "It's-very-difficult." Blurr retorted, feeling the delicate tool sever and connect various wires. "I know, but you're going to have to manage. Are you sure you don't want any Numbing Gel?" "It-makes-me-feel-sick. No." Blurr stated shortly. "Then please, hold still until I say so." Blurr clenched his servos. Holding still made him feel worse than the laser in his ankle-joint.

"He should be grateful he's still online. At this rate, the surgery will take even longer." From the observation window, two more Autobots observed the blue speedster's operation. Cliffjumper had crossed his arms and made this stern objection to Blurr's behavior. "Indeed. He narrowly escaped incineration." Perceptor added. "How did he do it again? Didn't that ridge on his head get jammed in the ventilation?" "Something to that effect. It created a large congestion." Perceptor turned to the red Autobot and gave him a sarcastic grin. "Speaking of the ridge... I find it ironic that the maintenance bots could recognize a fellow Autobot after an intelligence agent tossed him down the incineration chute." Cliffjumper stiffened. "I-sir, I-I had many things to deal with at the time, and I wasn't paying enough attention. I've apologized before and-" Perceptor quieted Cliffjumper by simply raising a servo. "Water under the Space Bridge." he said, turning back to Blurr in the operating room.

"Move your stabilizing servo a touch." The Surgeon said. Blurr gulped and began to awkwardly twitch his foot. "There, good as new. Congratulations, Agent Blurr, you now have one functioning leg." Blurr tentatively bended his knee-joint. It moved just like it used to. For the first time in solarcycles, Blurr actually grinned. "Excellent. Phenomenal. Wonderful, Primus-bless-you, Doctor. Hopefully-I-won't-be-needing-that-infernal-chair-t o-get-around-anymore, correct?" "No. Now you'll need crutches." "That's-still-an-improvement." Blurr jested.

Perceptor frowned. "I worry about Blurr." he stated. Cliffjumper raised an eyebrow. "What? Why? His operation is coming along very smoothly." "Not in that sense. I worry about his restless disposition." Cliffjumper still didn't understand. "Uh, care to elaborate?" "I fear he may do something...rash. From a statistical standpoint, I would say there is an 80 to 90 percent chance, actually." Cliffjumper scoffed. "I wouldn't worry, I've known Blurr for a while. Yes, he's restless, but I don't think he'll do anything foolish." Perceptor adjusted his glasses. "Well, keep a look out. I must return to my studies." "Good luck." Cliffjumper said to his superior as he left the observation deck. He then turned to look at Blurr testing his new crutches. "At least, I hope he does nothing foolish."

Sari and Bulkhead sat around her television, watching Sari's character fend off knife wielding mutants with a crowbar. "So, where'd you say Bumblebee was?" Sari inquired after giving a mutant a well aimed swat with her weapon. "He doesn't feel like leaving the plant. He's been real sad since Prowl, well..." "Died?" "I guess you could say that. But it just hasn't gotten any better, I'm really starting to worry." Sari put her game on pause and flopped back in her beanbag chair. "Have you tried talking to him?" "Yeah. He won't. It's like talking to an engine block." Sari thought for a moment.

"We'll, d'you remember Powell kicked me out of the tower?" Bulkhead winced. "How could I forget?" "You and Bumblebee told me that I could cry as much as I needed too, because I was safe and I had friends to lean on." Bulkhead tilted his processor to one side. "So..?" "So, why don't you do just that? Let him think and sleep and, 'cry', I guess, and just be there when he needs you." Bulkhead scratched his chin. "Hmm. I dunno. Don't you think that's a little, um...passive?"

Sari thought for another minute, then shrugged. "I dunno, then. What, makes you feel better?" Bulkhead grinned. "Well when I was growing up, I had a girlfriend for a bit." Sari sat up. "Wait, YOU had a girlfriend?" "Well, it wasn't anything huge, but yeah, a few years before I went to Training Camp, I had a girlfriend named Constellation. I called her Stella. We parted ways after I went to Camp, but we're still friends." Sari leaned forward with interest. "Did you kiss or anything?" "Uh... Well, I don't mean to brag, but, uh-" Bulkhead suddenly sat up straight. "Hang on a cycle, we were talking about Bumblebee!" Sari crossed her arms. "I don't think Bumblebee is going to find a girlfriend here, Bulkhead, unless one decides to drop out of the sky." Bulkhead looked somewhat crestfallen. "Well, yeah, that's a good point. It was just a thought. Oh well, you wanna turn the game back on?" Sari slowly donned a mischievous expression. "Not until you tell me more about Stella." "Hey! That's blackmail!"


	3. The Escape

A few days later...  
"I must admit, Agent Blurr. Your body has healed remarkably well." Red Alert admired Blurr's stabilizing servos, now both in prime condition. "I know. It's-truly-quite-extraordinary. I-feel-like-a-brand-new-bot!" Blurr excitedly pumped the joints in his arms and legs, feeling the freedom of movement once again. "Now, don't get too excited. You're still going to have to stay with us for a few more solarcycles." Blurr's smile blew like a lightbulb filament. "W-what?! You-can't-be-serious!" "Unfortunately, I'm quite serious. We still have to run a few chemical and environment tests on you. And we need to issue you a proper sized cane."

Blurr sat bolt upright. "CANE! I-don't-need-a-cane! I-feel-excellent! I-feel-better-than-excellent, I-feel-fantastic! And-I'll-have-you-know-I-can-stand-perfectly-well! Watch me!" And with a grand swing of his legs, Blurr stood up on his stabilizing servos once again. "There, see? Ramrod-straight!" Blurr tried to ignore the quaking of his knee-joints as he made this declaration, and did his best to keep his balance.

Red Alert simply smiled and inserted a sedative tablet into his mouth. "Blurr, just take your Thorazine and relax. You're simply overexcited." Red Alert wrestled Blurr back onto his bed and took hold of his jaw. "Swallow your pill." she said. Blurr made an exaggerated gulping motion. "Did you swallow it?" "Yes." "Really? Say 'aahh.'" Blurr opened his mouth reluctantly, and Red Alert briefly looked inside to make sure the blue speedster really took his meds. When she found no tablet, she smiled and dimmed the lights in his room. "Good night, Agent Blurr." "I-hate-you." Red Alert closed the door.

Blurr listened carefully to her receding footsteps, and when he was sure she was beyond hraring distance, he swiftly removed the Thorazine tablet from its hiding place behind his teeth. He flicked it away in disgust. The tablets' bitter taste wouldn't be missed. Blurr moved as stealthily as his quivering legs would allow and opened the automatic door. It slid open with a hiss. Blurr poked his processor outside and quickly glanced down both ends of the hallway. Empty. Blurr gave a satisfied smirk and stepped into the corridor, walking to the left a bit awkwardly on his infirm legs. He froze when his auditories picked up a conversation quickly approaching from an adjacent hallway. He whipped his processor around, looking for an escape. Only a storage closet. Good enough. He hurried over and opened it, stepping in backwards so he could face outward, and quietly closed the door. The conversation drew nearer. "...I'm tellin' ya, bro, these passwords are getting harder by the cycle." "Naw, just remember its in the shape of a 'T', like for Transformer." "Yeah, but which order does it go in?" "Top across right, middle down. Ya hafta press two twice." "Hang on, is this the closet you wanted?" Blurr's optics widened. "Yeah, I need some Hydroxizine." The door was then opened, and Blurr was faced with two Autobot interns. They blinked in surprise at finding Blurr inside, who returned the expression. "Who the slag are you?" The door opener barked in confusion.

In an act of impulse, Blurr jerked forward and knocked processors with the door opener, making him yelp and stumble backwards. Blurr swiftly exited the closet and swiped the door opener's Identification Badge before darting klutzily running down the hall. "'Ey! Get back here!" The other intern yelled. After Blurr disappeared behind the corner, he went to help his friend, who was clutching his processor in pain. "You okay, Injector?" "He nicked my Badge." "Hang on a second, lemme call this in." The friend switched on his Comlink to Administration. "Hello? Yeah, this is Splicer. I'm an intern. Yeah, I work in Ward S. My friend Injector just got his Badge stolen by a blue bot hiding in Closet 223-S. Red Alert? Could you contact her, please?"

Blurr clomped down one of the many hallways in the hospital ward. He noticed a sign that said Ward T out of the corner of his optic. The first thing to do was retrieve his jet boosters, then flee to the nearest place as far as possible from the ward. He was done, he simply couldn't stand being tinkered with anymore, his legs felt flimsy but manageable, and he was ready to run. Spare Parts Supply, or SPS, was always somewhere in the hospital, but he had no idea where to look. He needed a plan, and fast. Those two interns had probably ratted on him by now, and security would be on the way. He noticed a doctor coming down the hall, and straightened himself up, trying to look as professional as possible. "Excuse-me." Blurr said to the approaching doctor. "I-am-interning-here, could-you-please-direct-me-to-SPS?" The doctor narrowed his optics. "Could I see some identification?" Blurr immediately held up the Badge, taking care to cover the picture with his thumb. The doctor gave him a look before pointing North. "Fourth door to your right." Blurr thanked him and headed for the door.

He reached it in a few seconds and attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. A small screen next to him blinked the words 'Identification Required.' Blurr swiped the card in the little slit. The screen turned green then displayed a keypad. 'Password Required.' All at once, Blurr's plan came to a screeching halt. He let out a cry of frustration and pounded a fist against the wall, slumping over so his faceplate touched the door. But then, a glimmer of hope. He remembered what the intern had said while he was hiding in the closet. "Top across right, middle down. Ya hafta press two twice." Blurr held his breath and typed in what he thought would be the correct code. 123, 2580. There was a little metallic chime as the screen bleeped the message "Welcome, Intern." Blurr had to stop himself from cheering out loud before opening the door and hurrying inside.

SPS was just a blank wall with another touch screen and a large compartment beneath it. Blurr tapped the screen with his servo. It blinked to life, and he was greeted with a cool female voice. "Welcome to Spare Parts Storage. What is your request?" Blurr scanned the menu that appeared and selected Transaction. "Which Spare Part would you like?" Blurr only had to type in J before jet boosters appeared as an auto fill option. He selected it. "Dispensing product. Please wait..." Blurr rolled his optics. He was a little tired of waiting.

"Agent Blurr, please step away from that compartment." Blurr felt every joint in his body freeze up. The worst voice he could hear at the time, at the worst possible time. He turned slowly to see a severe looking Red Alert with two large employees flanking her sides. "Blurr, come here. You aren't in suitable condition to roam the facility freely, and you certainly can't use whatever parts you just stole from the hospital." Blurr, though a touch nervous, grinned anyway. "Stealing? Nonsense, I-plan-on returning-these-as-soon-as-I-return." Red Alert raised an eyebrow. "You won't be returning from anywhere until you're deemed fit to leave by Administration." Red Alert then stepped back and turned to the employee on her left. "Slowdown, go." The large red employee took out a chemical mask attached to his chest and began advancing on Blurr. "Come here, buddy. This'll be over in three cycles." He said gruffly.

Just then, the compartment behind Blurr popped open, revealing two fresh jet boosters. Blurr looked from them to the advancing anisthegiologist. In one motion, he snatched up the boosters and leapt aaacross the room. His stablizing servo hit the wall, and he attempted to rebound off of it, but his _ a bent at an odd angle, and he wound up careening right towards Slowdown. The red bot barely had time to react before he was knocked him onto his back, Blurr landing on top of him. Blurr flung himself off of him and grabbed the boosters, hastily attaching them to his back. "Stop him." Red Alert ordered to the other employee. But she was too late, Blurr already zoomed past her. He stopped briefly, and waved goodbye to his nurse with a smug grin. And with that, he took off down the hall.  
Zooming down the hall, Blurr managed to weave in and out of passing patients and doctors way, all the while hunting for an exit route. He didn't dare take an elevator, as they would certainly catch him if he moved that slowly. So he took the stairs, leaping down flights at a time and keeping track of which number he was on. 32...27...20...14... He was exhausted, but he couldn't stop running now. 5...4...3...2...1! He had reached the bottom floor, and now all he needed to do was head for the exit.

He reached for the opener button, but it clicked open before he touched it. "Hey! I found him! He's here!" A young security Autobot was standing in the doorway clutching a Stun Wand, which he brandished at Blurr. "Don't move." he warned, with a touch of nervousness in his voice. Blurr saw a small window on the wall out of the corner of his optic. In order to escape, he would have to leap processor-first out of the window, as it was too tight to fit through any other way. Risky, but he didn't have much time to choose, it was either try it now or get a faceplate full of Stun Wand. His decision made, he sprinted towards the window and jumped for it. A split second of silence, then he slammed into the glass. Even though it was like hitting a wall head on, he burst through the glass, landing on the cold metal back alley street in a rain of crystal shards.

"Sludge on a stick, he went through the window!" The young guard exclaimed, more out of disbelief than frustration. Blurr, now with a throbbing processor, dashed down the street. His destination: anywhere. He didn't care if it was the High Council or an Oil Exchange, he just wanted to be away from the hospital. While thinking, he failed to notice which direction he was headed. Straight for a double titanium wall. Gasping, he jumped, his stabilizing servos narrowly missing the topmost edge of the wall. He had no time for relief, though. The wall he leapt over was the girder for a scientific testing field, and He was flying straight for a Space Bridge. He tried to turn, but it was too late, and in a flash of light, he was gone.


End file.
